How to Train Your Titan
by LightPhyre
Summary: After the recon mission outside the walls, Levi and Eren are left behind, and when they return home, they're met with new problems when the world begins to see Eren as a threat. Meanwhile, Levi realizes that he seems to be the only one who can stop Eren from hurting anyone... Rated M for suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1

**How to Train Your Titan:**

 **Chapter One**

They were out of gas and out of sharp blades. The sun had set only a few minutes ago, and the blue sky was getting ever darker, blocking out all sunlight through the trees of the woods. Giant silhouettes covered the forest floor. Eren and Levi were the only survivors. They hid within the cover of the trees, their 3D Maneuver Gear useless without gas and their swords only dead weight without sharp blades to cut with. They were miles from Wall Rose and they were deep within Titan territory. Their horses had been killed and it was impossible to survive in the flatlands without their horses.

Eren was lost and scared, and he felt no reason to deny that fact. Levi hadn't spoken a word to him wince they set up a substitute campground here. Eren knew that he'd been a witness to the death of their commander, Erwin Smith. Levi had placed all of his trust into that one man, his superior, and Eren knew that seeing him die must have shaken him up quite a bit.

But Captain Levi didn't show an ounce of dread or fear or hopelessness. It was as if he was thinking up a strategy to get the two of them safely back to their home. But Eren knew it was useless. He could turn into a Titan and probably get their on his own, but he still couldn't control it very well, and neither he nor Levi knew if that was the best decision to make. It seemed to be their only option, though. Eren knew it would come down to the use of his power in the end, but he also knew that Levi needed to be ready to fight for his life. And that wasn't going to happen right now.

Eren avoided him, for the most part. It wasn't out of hatred or anything like that. He just thought that the captain needed to be alone and have some time to think. And he knew he wasn't the best person when it came to making people feel better. That was Armin's specialty. But Armin and Mikasa had been ordered to head back a few hours ago. It wouldn't be long after they arrived that they would learn that he and Levi had been left behind. They would have signaled them, but they were also out of flares. Their situation seemed hopeless.

"We don't have the time to wait for someone to come and get us," Eren whispered, breaking the long and awkward silence between him and the captain.

"We need to rest," Levi said monotonously. "You used up a lot of your strength fighting off that female-form Titan, and we're out of weapons and gas. We have no choice but to wait until you have your strength back and use your Titan abilities to get us both out of here. Are you willing to do that?"

"Yes, sir," Eren exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down, you idiot," he growled. "The only way we'll get any rest is if we aren't found. It's the Titan's instinct to follow the paths through these woods, so they won't unnecessarily walk through the dense parts. But it you make a racket, they will hear you and come searching for us."

"Yes, sir," Eren whispered, lowering his head, "Sorry, sir."

"And stop with that, will you?" Levi groaned, "I may be your superior, but it's just the two of us, and to be honest, the only way I'm getting out of here is if you protect me when we have to go through the miles of flatlands. Don't be so formal."

"Yes, sir," Eren said, and Levi shot him a glare before he realized his mistake. "Sorry," he added. Levi rolled his eyes, a bit annoyed with the boy.

"I'll take the first shift. You get some rest," he said, leaning back against the tree he was sitting next to. He folded his arms behind his head and looked up at the darkening sky.

"I'm sorry," Eren said, quietly lying down on the soft ground.

"And quit apologizing, Jaeger. It's getting on my nerves."

"No, I mean… I'm sorry about Commander Smith. I know you two had a long history in the Recon Corps together. It must have been difficult to be a witness to what happened to him."

"People die all the time out here," Levi said casually, but Eren didn't think he was that halfhearted about the death of his friend and comrade in arms. He was just trying to hide it, and for good reason, Eren thought. Levi knew that being weighed down by his emotions right now wouldn't do either of them very good. He would have time to grieve when they were safe inside the walls once again.

As soon as his head hit the soft ground, Eren learned just how exhausted he really was from becoming a Titan and fighting with that female-form Titan. He was asleep in a matter of seconds.

Eren woke to the feel of pressure on his upper leg. He bolted upright, but thankfully remembered to keep his mouth shut and his voice down. He saw Levi sitting in the same position he'd been in before Eren had fallen asleep, but the moonlight revealed that he must have been sleeping for quite a few hours.

He looked down at his leg and found the hilt of one of Levi's blades resting on the ground next to where he had been hit with it.

"I'm tired. It's your shift," Levi whispered, slowly looking over his shoulder at him. And Eren took his words seriously. His eyes were half-closed and bloodshot and there were a few dark circles under his eyes. Well, more-so than his usual look of indifference and not caring.

"Yeah," Eren said, looking at his tired expression with a bit of worry, "Of course. Please rest." He looked more than just tired, actually. He looked hungry and worn out from battle. And Eren might have guessed that Levi had been mourning the loss of his comrades while he slept from the slight red in his eyes. He didn't want to pester him about it, though, so Eren just sat up and looked around, through the trees and the shadows from the moonlight.

But even before Levi could rest his head on the ground, Eren gasped, and Levi looked up and his eyes widened. Above them loomed a 10-meter class Titan. Eren could tell that its vision of them was hindered by the lack of sunlight. He'd learned from Hanji that the Titans would die without sunlight, and they were often weaker at night than they were during the day. And thankfully, this one didn't seem to be an abnormal.

Eren had been worried that he would have to transform into a Titan to protect himself and the captain, but he was confident in his ability to get away from this one with only his human form and abilities.

"Captain Levi, sir," he whispered, as the Titan leaned its face closer to them to get a better look. "We should run. It doesn't seem to be able to see us very clearly right now. We can hide from it in these woods, and it's dark enough so that it won't be able to see us very well. But we'll have to move fast, because the noises might attract other Titans, and it's probably best if I wait to transform until the morning." He turned quickly to look at Levi, but he was leaning against a tree for support and his breathing was heavy for just standing there. "Captain Levi, sir, are you all right?"

"I'll be fine," he said, "If you're going to run, then get moving, Eren. That Titan could see us clearly at any moment, and he won't just stand there forever."

"Yes, sir," he said, and then darted. He listened for Levi's footfalls behind him, and was glad when he heard them. The man really wasn't in the best shape for this kind of thing.

But then larger footfalls came from close behind the both of them, and Eren nearly jumped out of his skin. It was chasing them through the woods, and he didn't know if the Titan could see them now, or if its instincts just told it to chase whatever was running away from it. He saw a big tree up ahead and sprinted for it. When he reached it, he sidestepped and stopped short behind it. His hope was that the Titan actually couldn't see them very well, but his thoughts were put on hold when he realized that Levi hadn't been right behind him. He cursed at himself for sprinting on ahead when he knew that Levi was weak right now.

He held his breath and looked around the large tree trunk for his captain. He saw the Titan, a good distance away, looking back and forth like a dumb animal. It looked as if it had forgotten what it was doing, and didn't know why it was standing there. Eren ignored it for the most part and searched around for Levi. He caught sight of him behind a tree a few meters back. He took one last look at the Titan to make sure it wouldn't see him before running out from under the cover of the tree and quietly raced to Levi's side. He pushed himself up against the thin tree and had to push his shoulder up against Levi to stay hidden.

"Are you okay?" he asked, but Levi didn't need to reply, and he didn't answer him anyway. His breathing was way too heavy for only running the distance that they had gone. His eyes were closed and Eren could feel the beat of the man's heart against his shoulder. It wasn't fast at all for how heavy he was panting. In fact, it was quite slow. Eren didn't know if that meant he just needed rest, but he hoped it didn't mean he was going to die. He had no expert opinion on the matter.

Levi leaned forward and his head rested on Eren's shoulder.

Eren always knew how small the captain was, but he'd never seen him like this, making it so obvious. He was a good head's height shorter than Eren, and he was thin. He was probably thinner because they hadn't had something to eat for some time now, but even so. Eren had never thought of the captain as being small, because he was so skilled and he was a high-ranking officer of the 13th Battalion of the Reconnaissance Corps. But with his eyes closed and his head resting on his shoulder, Eren couldn't help but notice his size.

Levi needed to rest, but the Titan that had seen them was still in the area, and it had made a lot of noise, so Eren knew that other Titans might very well come looking to see what the sounds had come from. And that put them in even more danger. Especially if an abnormal came by and found the two of them. They were definitely dead, without a doubt, if they encountered an abnormal out here.

"Please, try to get some rest, sir," Eren whispered, "I'll wake you up if another Titan finds us, but you really need to get some sleep."

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that," he groaned, lifting one of his arms and wrapping it around Eren's shoulders to hold himself upright. Eren flinched when he felt some of the captains weight being placed on his shoulders and pulling him down.

Eren lowered himself and Levi onto the ground beside the tree and pulled the captains arm off of his shoulder. "Just rest," he said again, and Levi rested his head next to Eren's thigh. His body curled up next to him on the ground, and he was out like a light within the same few seconds as when he didn't have to stand anymore.

Eren looked down at him, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the position he was in. Not that Levi's head resting partially on his leg wasn't making him uncomfortable, but the position of authority that he was now in made him feel that even more-so. It felt strange, knowing that Levi's life was in his hands. He doubted that he'd be able to run anymore if another Titan appeared, and that would leave Eren with only the option to transform to protect the captain.

He just hoped that Levi would feel better after resting for a few hours. He guessed that they probably had four hours before the sun came up and they would be exposed to the Titans once more. He would have to transform then, but he was genuinely worried about Levi when that happened. He blacked-out when he turned into a Titan, the only thing driving him being the goal he had in mind the second that he transformed. If he made his goal protecting Levi until they made it home, then there shouldn't be any problems. But he knew that there was a limit to his power as a Titan. He was told that he killed twenty Titans the first time he turned into one of them before he burned out.

But they were deep within Titan territory now, and he knew that he might have to defeat more than twenty Titans to get out of the flatlands alive. He feared for Levi if he began to burn out and he left his captain unprotected. He wouldn't have to feel that fear, seeing as it took him a few hours to come-to after he lost his Titan form. If he was going to be killed, he wouldn't remember it, and if he did get eaten or stomped on, he wouldn't feel it.

When Eren first met Levi, he didn't come across as the people-serving, hero-type that everyone made him out to be. In reality, first of all, he was quite short. He was also irritable, violent, and hard to approach. At least, that was what he had been told by the other members of Levi's Battalion. But he didn't think that the captain was all that bad, right from the start. He was loyal to his superiors, which Eren hadn't expected, but he admired. And he knew how to lead his men, which was something else that Eren admired about him.

Levi was also the one who had taken custody of him, and in fact, he still had custody of him. And at first, Eren believed that he would be treated like a prisoner, but Levi had always been concerned with his welfare, even if he didn't like to admit it. He was a great leader, and Eren had learned, in the short time that he'd known him, that he could trust the captain with his life. And that was exactly what he'd done from the start of his training with the Recon Corps.

The only reason he wasn't killed by his own people was because Levi had agreed to watch over him.

Now, it was time for Eren to return the favor. He would watch over Levi, and he wouldn't allow him to die at the hands of the Titans. He would protect his captain for protecting him from the Military Police and those of them that wanted his life.

If not, they were both going to die.


	2. Chapter 2

**How to Train Your Titan:**

 **Chapter Two**

Levi squinted and groaned when he body was violently shaken. He looked up to find Eren. His mouth was moving quickly, but it took Levi a few moments to actually hear what was coming out of his mouth.

"…sun is out! You need to wake up! Captain! Captain Levi, sir! Please, you have to wake up!"

Levi's eyes shot open and he quickly sat upright, covering Eren's mouth with the palm of his hands and looking directly into his eyes to get the message across. Eren needed to shut the hell up immediately.

It took Levi only a second to realize that he had been sleeping, literally, on top of the boy. He could still feel Eren's warmth through his clothes and on his skin. Now, a chill swept through his body at the lack of contact, even though he was still wearing multiple layers of clothing, including an undershirt, his jacket, and the green robe that served as the Recon Corps uniform.

He removed his hands from Eren's mouth and glared at him for his stupidity.

"We have to get moving. You may have just attracted Titans to our location. We need to go somewhere else and figure out what we're going to do."

"Are you alright?" Eren asked, his voice panicky. Levi looked at him strangely for asking such a question, so Eren added, "I've been trying to get you to wake up for almost fifteen minutes now."

Levi blinked a few times, and then realized that he was still quite tired. He exhaled once, heavily, before standing. "It'll have to do. I can't rest anymore or we'll be found here."

"We should go somewhere else and you should continue resting, Captain," Eren suggested.

Levi was about to say no, but he knew he would regret it later. The last thing he wanted to do was hinder Eren because he was too weary to move onward. He knew he needed more rest, but he didn't have the time to get a full night's sleep to rejuvenate his body and his senses. Now, he was just dead weight, and he hated it.

"All right," Levi said, "Let's go, but be extra careful. We can't afford to run into any Titans before we have a strategy to get home. If we see a Titan, we'll avoid it."

"What if we can't?" Eren asked, standing as well. Once again, he couldn't help but notice Levi's size. He was so thin, and he was half a foot shorter than him.

"We have some blades left," he said, "They aren't in the best condition, but if it comes down to a fight, then it will be unavoidable. You've had training, but I think it would be best to leave the fighting to me if it turns into a battle for our lives."

"If it's for our lives, then I can transform," Eren said boldly, but Levi shook his head.

"If it becomes a battle for _your_ life, then you can transform," he said. "If it is a battle for my life, you cannot. That's an order, Eren. Make sure you follow it."

Eren looked at the ground and didn't reply. He knew that it was only the two of them, and he already swore to himself that he would get both of them out of here alive. He couldn't tell Levi that he wasn't planning on following his orders. But the way he saw it, Levi could thank him later. He would protect both of them, if it came down to it. He'd made up his mind, and nothing was going to change it.

"Let's move," Levi said, checking the blades that remained as he started running. Eren followed after him. Eren held four blades, all dulled from battling prior to their stranded situation, and the ones on his swords. He noted that Levi only had two blades remaining, and they were the ones on his swords. He had left his gear behind when he must have realized that they were only unnecessary weight that he shouldn't be carrying for no reason.

They ran for quite some time, avoiding the Titans that they could see in the distance by stopping to hide for a few minutes, or by picking up speed so that they wouldn't get caught as Titans turned to scout out the area to its rear. They ran for about a half-hour before Levi stopped and placed his hands on his knees, leaning against a tree for support. Eren frowned when he did so.

"You need to rest," he said sternly, noting that he himself was breathing heavy, but he could very well stand on his own, without bending over or leaning on a tree. And he was carrying more weight. Levi had been like this at the twenty-minute mark while they ran, and ever since then. Eren had tried to say something before, but Levi had ignored him or changed the subject when he tried to bring it up. He got that the captain wanted to act tough and all, but he was going to put both of them in danger if he didn't stop trying so hard.

"I know," he said finally, between breaths, "But not here. We need to keep going. We're almost to the edge of the woods. I'd like to stop about a quarter mile before then. That way, we'll be far in enough to avoid the Titans, even in daylight, and we won't have far to go through the woods when we finally decide to enter the flatlands and make our way home. You'll be a Titan then, but for now, we have to keep moving. Don't worry about me, Eren. I can handle myself."

Eren wanted to tell him to drop the tough guy act, but the facts were there, and Levi was right. It would be strategically better if they kept moving to the destination he had planned for the two of them. Even if he wasn't well, his tough guy act was going to keep them alive for now. And Eren could understand that, even if he was a newbie when it came to the Levi Unit and the Recon Corps.

The thought that wouldn't get out of his mind was that Levi was usually the one person who knew exactly what had to be done. Now, he was certainly acting the part, but it was stupid to say that he wasn't the least bit afraid of failure. And failure meant death. The Recon Corps saw death every time they went out on a mission outside the safety of the walls, and Levi must have seen his life's share of death and dying. But that didn't mean that he didn't care if he lived or died. It probably meant the exact opposite. Eren was sure that Levi wanted to live, and he doubted he wanted to die… even now.

They set off running once again, but while Eren was willing to move faster, he stayed behind the captain and followed at his pace, which had slowed dramatically since they began. Eren knew that this was battle. This was fighting for your life, and Levi was an expert on the topic. He knew that sometimes he had to do what his body couldn't always handle just to stay alive. And that was one of those times.

But the main problem was that Eren was focusing too much on him. He watched him as if he might drop to the ground at any moment now, and his worry for his captain was making him less likely to see a Titan approaching. He knew he had to focus on his surroundings, because Levi could only do so much in his current state.

Eren focused. He knew that Levi barely had enough energy left to run, let alone watch his back or his flanks. Eren committed himself to watching out for the both of them until Levi deemed it necessary to stop running and to set up a temporary camp and rest. That was his job as a soldier under the captain of the Levi Unit. He didn't have the ability to worry about Levi's welfare and watch both of their backs at the same time. He would just have to trust Levi's judgment.

But he couldn't help thinking back to the time when the majority of the Special Ops Squad had asked him to place his trust in them. He'd done as they asked with faith in his heart, but they'd all died because of his decision. He could have protected all of them, but they asked him to trust them, and he made the wrong choice.

"Captain," he called out softly, making up his mind. He slowed his pace to a jog and Levi turned and then halted. Eren stopped running completely and stood his ground. He knew the decision he was making now was the right one as Levi turned to look at him. His face was pale and all around his eyes were dark circles. His head moved as if it was barely attached to his neck, and his mouth was open wide as he panted.

"Why are you stopping?" he growled, "Keep moving, Eren."

"With all due respect, sir—"

Eren dropped to his knees as a hard fist collided with his stomach. Levi stood above him, and as Eren looked up to meet his angry gaze, Levi's knee hit him below his jaw. His head snapped upward painfully and Eren gasped as he dropped.

"I am not weak," Levi barked, "And when I give you an order, you will follow it. Do I make myself clear?"

Eren knew that Levi wasn't weak. That was why he was being forced to make this decision for his captain. He wouldn't back down, because he knew what the right decision was now. He had to make sure that no one else died because he halfheartedly put his faith in them. He wanted so badly to put his faith in Levi, but he knew what had to be done.

Eren stood and looked down at Levi, who didn't back away or flinch at their difference in height. Eren focused on remembering his training from his time with his friends last year. He knew that he had an advantage because of Levi's weariness, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe that his height over his captain gave him an advantage. Levi knew how to fight, better than anyone Eren had ever met.

So, without a moment's hesitation, he kicked out his leg and swiped it at the back of Levi's right knee to knock him down. Unfortunately, he hadn't been quick enough and Levi stopped him by turning so that he hit the front of his leg, on the bone. Eren flinched back, but before he could make another move, he was thrown to the ground and one of Levi's dull blades tapped the skin covering his windpipe. He turned to blade on an angle, pointing the weapon at Eren's artery. He froze, Levi sitting on top of his chest.

"I am _not_ weak," Levi repeated threateningly, "And when I give you an order… You _will_ follow it, Eren."

"You need to stop pushing your body past its limits," Eren wheezed, "Or you're going to get both of us killed. You need to stop and rest."

"My body can handle something as insignificant as running a few miles," Levi said, and then scowled. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Yeah, but you need me to get out of here alive," Eren said, and Levi narrowed his eyes dangerously at him. Clearly, he didn't appreciate being reminded of that fact. Eren didn't care. He wasn't backing down on this. He believed with all his heart that he was saving Levi's life right now. "And if you want me to help you, then you're going to have to listen to me and stop running."

"I don't take orders from you," he glowered, "And if you're not going to help me, then there's really no reason for you to be alive. At least, that's the way I see it." He pressed his dull blade harder on Eren's throat and he gulped loudly in response. He could feel the blade indenting his skin, and it wouldn't take much movement on either of their parts to deeply cut him.

"Are you really going to kill me?" Eren asked, not sure how his shaky voice sounded to Levi. But he guessed that he must have sounded pretty pathetic because the blade was removed from his throat a few seconds later. Levi remained sitting on top of him.

"What's wrong?" he asked slowly, "You were fine with my decisions up until now. What changed?"

"You need to rest," was all Eren said in reply, and Levi glared at him.

"I've needed rest ever since this morning. So, what changed?"

Eren thought for a moment. Of course, his decision to keep them both alive had surfaced. That was a change, but it wasn't the answer that Levi needed to hear. Eren knew what he had to say to get Levi to listen to him. He mentally thanked Armin, and he knew his blonde friend would be proud of him right now for this.

"Your performance has changed, sir," Eren began, looking up at him, wishing he would just get off of him already. "Your speed has decreased since we began running. We're covering much less ground now that you've used up what little strength you had left. The only thing that has changed is _you_ , Captain Levi, sir. And I believe that you are currently unfit to command, not only physically, but emotionally as well. You've lost every person that you've worked with for the past few years, and I believe that has been affecting your judgment. And I will not take orders from a man that has been compromised by his emotions."

"So you were going to incapacitate me?" Levi asked, lifting an eyebrow, but before Eren could reply, Levi's expression dropped and it made him look even more tired, if that was possible. "Didn't I tell you not to be so formal?" he said, not looking at him, but instead at the ground to the right of his head. "It's only the two of us out here." He paused. "And I guess that means that a chain of command wouldn't do us much good, right?"

Eren looked up at him, not exactly sure of his meaning. "Right," he replied. "You need to listen to me, even if it's just this one time."

A moment of silence passed between the two of them before Levi let out a heavy breath. "Fine," he said, "Then let's make this clear. While we are out here together, I am no longer your captain, Eren, but I would… appreciate if you'd try your best to do what I tell you." He groaned before continuing. "And I will… take into consideration what you suggest we do as well."

Eren smiled. "Yes, sir!—"

Levi clamped a hand over his mouth and narrowed his eyes. "Don't shout," he said angrily, "And I'm not your captain, Eren. Did I not just say that to you?"

Levi grabbed Eren's hair in a fist and banged his head against the ground one time before releasing him and getting off of him. Levi stood as Eren rubbed the back of his head and wiped a tear from the bottom of his eye. He was certainly surprised by how strong Levi was in his condition, and he hadn't expected his own attacks to be so ineffective. It was true that Levi never dropped his guard around anyone, even his own comrades. Eren knew that was something that only came with experience.

"Now," Levi said, "We both have our 3D Maneuver Gear. We'll use it to hold ourselves in the taller trees while we rest. Since we're out of gas, we'll have to climb the trees with the cords from our gear. And we should stay a minimum distance of twenty-five meters off the ground, so if a Titan does see us, it won't be able to reach us while we rest."

Eren nodded and adjusted his gear. It was true that they couldn't attack a Titan without gas, but their wires were still intact, and it didn't take gas to let out the compression on the wires. Levi's idea was genius, to use them as climbing wires. They were certainly strong enough to hold their weight, and to hold them in place on a branch as well.

They stood below the tallest tree in the area and Levi shot up his cord first. The end hit the tree trunk and stuck. He tested it by pulling on the wire, and then began to climb the old-fashion way. Eren waited a minute before doing the same and beginning to climb. He looked up every now and again to check on Levi. He was gaining on him, slowly but surely. Eren was glad that he'd been able to convince him to stop pushing himself so hard.

Levi reached a branch about thirty meters off the ground and began to wrap himself in his own wire, tying a tight knot to hold himself in place. Eren decided to climb to the branch directly below Levi's, just in case. He didn't know why he was being so cautious, but he didn't care. His instincts were telling him to watch the stubborn man's back for him, and he always listened to his instincts. Mikasa taught him that much.

Levi grunted as Eren began to tie himself to the branch. "What is it?" he asked, calling up to him softly.

"My gear must be jammed. The cord won't retract," he replied. "It's not a big deal. We won't need it anymore after this anyway."

Eren nodded to himself and checked his own cords. Both of them were working perfectly, besides the fact that he had no gas. They'd left their tanks behind when that fact became apparent, so that they wouldn't be carrying around the extra weight.

"You don't need to keep watch, Eren," Levi whispered down to him, "So you should rest as well. The normal class Titans won't be able to reach us up here, and even so, we'll be able to hear if one comes near us anyway."

"Yes, I will," Eren replied, tightening the final knot in his wires with a hard tug. When he fell asleep, even if he started to roll around, those knots in the cords would hold him firmly against the branch without a problem. They could hold his weight while he swung around midair. So they wouldn't have a problem holding him to a tree branch.

"As for abnormals," Levi added, "Since we can hear them coming, we should just sleep with one eye open, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, sir."

"What did I tell you?" Levi groaned halfheartedly, and Eren held his breath for a second.

"Sorry…" he trailed off. He couldn't even call him captain, so then what was he supposed to say?

"Just call me Levi for now," he whispered. A pause followed, but the Levi grunted. "But when we're back home, this nonsense will have ended, and I will be your superior again. And you will treat me as such."

"Yes," Eren quickly said, thinking for a moment about when they returned to the inner walls, "… Levi." Levi would be placed in charge of the Thirteenth Battalion, now that Commander Erwin was dead. But the soldiers that Levi had hand-selected for the Levi Unit were all dead as well. So, in truth, they were the last two remaining members of their Battalion. It was true that Levi would become Commander, but Eren didn't know what would happen to him after they returned. He might remain in his position, under Levi. But he could also be taken away. Their mission had been a failure, and the court may deem that he was unnecessary to their cause. The worst case scenario was if he was handed over to the Military Police after all, and they killed him after their experiments and dissections.

He knew that Levi would try to keep him from that horrific fate, but there was only so much he could do. He'd taken Eren into custody and promised that he would assist in the recapture of Wall Maria. If they failed this mission, the courts might say that it is impossible. And then, Levi wouldn't be able to do a single thing to help him. He would be killed by humans, not Titans. He would be forced to become a martyr for his people.

He soon realized that he was tired from running most of the day away, and Eren drifted off into an uncomfortable and wary sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**How to Train Your Titan:**

 **Chapter Three**

Eren opened his eyes to find that it was almost dusk. Maybe a few hours remained until the sun began to set, he presumed. The sun was far along in the sky, but it was still a clear blue color, and they had a few hours to go before darkness shrouded the woods once again. He guessed that his comrades should have noticed that he was missing by now. He just prayed that Armin and Mikasa wouldn't try anything rash, like coming out here alone to get him. Hopefully they would realize that Levi was missing, too, and they would feel as if he had a better chance of making it home if the skilled man was by his side.

A scratching noise came from below and Eren flipped over once to look down at the ground. A meager five-meter Titan was scratching at the base of the tree, looking up at him with a dumb expression on its ugly face. Eren sighed and flipped back over. It wasn't good that a Titan had found them, but it meant that others might show up to see what this one was trying to get at, and that wasn't good.

Eren was glad that he'd woken up when he did. He untied the knots in his wires and sat upright, recoiling his cords at his waist with the touch of a button on the contraption at his side. He then cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered loudly up to Levi.

"Levi!" he called, "We have to get going. A Titan has found us, and more will be coming soon. We can't stay here."

He was happy that most of the day had gone by. That meant that they probably slept for a good seven or eight hours, and that was definitely a good thing for the captain. Eren hoped he was feeling more like his usual self now that he'd had some rest.

"Levi!" he called again, ignoring the awkwardness of how improper he was being by calling him by his first name. He still didn't feel comfortable with it, but calling him anything else would only piss him off, and Eren didn't want the irritable man to be any more uncooperative than his nature told him to be.

Eren growled under his breath. Not again, he thought. He picked the wrong time to be a heavy sleeper. Last time it took Eren nearly fifteen minutes to wake him up, and that was when he'd been next to him, and able to shake him around when his voice didn't work. He thought Levi might be less tired by now and he'd wake up easily, but he saw that he was wrong. Levi wasn't waking up.

He tried calling his name again, a little louder this time, but not too loud, and he heard a sound, like movement. And in the next moment, Levi's cord fell down, dangling from the tree branch to hang just above the small Titan below them. Eren's eyes widened when the Titan looked up curiously and then slowly began to reach for it.

"Captain Levi!" Eren suddenly screamed, not caring about his volume or calling him by just his first name. He screamed, but not before his body reacted and he shot his own cord to the branch above him, hauling himself up to it as quickly as he could. He climbed onto it and found that Levi's eyes were just beginning to open.

But it was too late.

The Titan pulled a little on the cord, and Levi's eyes widened as he gasped. His body was pulled hard against the tree, the cords tied around him digging through his clothing and into his flesh. He cried out for only a moment before getting himself under control and gritting his teeth instead.

Eren quickly pulled a dull blade out of his side gear and, not caring that he didn't have a hilt or handle and the blade was also digging into the skin on his hand, shoved it under one of the wires holding Levi against the branch. He pulled it up as hard as he could and snapped the cord as his own blade tore his hand apart from the pressure.

Eren shouted his cry of pain as he dropped the blade and it fell to the ground far below. Levi panted as he quickly sat upright and pulled the rest of his cords away from his body, letting them fall to the ground as well. He pulled out one of his own blades, with the hilt, and cut away the other knots he'd made hours before to hold himself there. The Titan below seemed to have gotten bored once the cord pieces fell and was beginning to walk away, as if he'd forgotten that there were two humans in the tree.

"Let me see it," Levi said quickly, grabbing Eren's wrist and pulling his torn-up hand towards him. He tore off a piece of his Recon Corps uniform and skillfully wrapped Eren's hand in the makeshift bandage. He held it for an awkward moment or two, just looking down at it. Eren felt his face get a little hot, and he quickly pulled his hand away and looked down in embarrassment.

"What about you?" he asked, breaking the weird silence between them. "Those cords must have dug into your skin. They even cut through the cloth of your jacket."

Levi didn't reply at first, but then he opened his mouth and said the one thing Eren would have never expected him to say. "Thank you… Eren."

Eren pulled away a bit in surprise. But he quickly remembered his manners and bowed his head slightly. "You're welcome, sir," he replied, and Levi chuckled. Eren looked up at him nervously.

"You can't remember not to call me that, can you?" he asked, a light smirk on his face. But as quickly as the unexpected moment began, it was over, and Levi expression went back to its normal, stoic expressionlessness. "I spoke with Hanji about a few things before we set out for this assignment. One of the qualities of you human-Titans is that your bodies are more human than they are Titan, even when you're in Titan form. That being said, she concluded that it was highly unlikely that you would be weakened by a lack of sunlight, and you would not die without sunlight as well. Therefore, I believe that it would be best for us to begin to move at night. After the sun goes down, Titan activity in this area will begin to decrease, but your power will remain the same, giving us a great advantage over them."

"That gives us about two or three hours before…" he trailed off.

"Before you transform, Eren," Levi said. His tone was commanding, as if he didn't like the fact that Eren didn't finish his sentence on his own. "And we cross the flatlands. You need a goal before you turn into a Titan, and that goal should be to run. As fast as you can. You need to focus on nothing but running back to Wall Rose before the sun comes up."

"I need to make two goals, then," he said, "One to get home quickly, and the other to make sure that you get there safely as well."

Levi didn't reply to that, but instead continued making preparations for their plan. "Since you'll be doing most of the work when the sun goes down, and we're currently in danger of being found by more Titans, I will keep watch while you rest a bit more. My strength will mean very little compared to yours, and we can't risk you running out of energy in the middle of the flatlands in the dark."

Eren gulped. He understood what Levi was telling him. It was do or die, and if he didn't get the job done, then both he and Levi had absolutely no chance of survival on their own in the middle of Titan territory. He knew that Levi was right, and he was glad to see that the man's face wasn't so pale anymore. He looked much better than he bad before their rest, and Eren knew that he would have to be satisfied with that for now.

"All right," Eren said, nodding once, "I'll get some rest, then."

Levi nodded and swung his legs over one side of the branch they were on. "You don't have to tie yourself down. I'll make sure you don't fall. Just rest and I'll wake you up before the sun goes down. That should give us enough time to make it to the edge of the forest. That way, you won't have to transform in these dense woods."

"Okay," Eren said, quickly lying down and closing his eyes. He pulled his injured hand close to find that it didn't hurt anymore. He opened his eyes and lifted an eyebrow. Untying the piece of cloth from Levi's uniform, he found that the only things left of his wounds were a few pink marks on his skin, and they were already starting to disappear as well.

"Well, that's good," he heard Levi say. "Now get some rest, Eren."

Eren nodded and closed his eyes again. He knew he had to get his mind off of the situation at hand to fall asleep after just waking up and going through what he'd just experienced. So he thought of the first thing that came to mind, and that was Levi. For a split second, he'd truly believed that Levi was going to die, and he remembered clearly how horrible it had felt. He'd panicked, and he'd lost all of his senses. The only thing his mind had focused on was making sure that Levi wasn't going to die. And the scariest part was that he'd actually considered transforming to protect him in that single moment.

He knew that Levi would never approve, and that was probably the last thing he wanted him to do. But he couldn't help it. If he hadn't been able to break the cords binding Levi, he'd already planned on using his own dull blade to inflict the necessary wound on himself and transform. And he knew that his only goal would have been to free Levi or kill the insignificant Titan that had threatened to rip him apart with his own wires.

And there was a part of him that knew that Levi understood what his intentions had been in that moment. That was why his first reaction was to check on his hand, to make sure that the self-inflicted wound wasn't going to make him turn into a Titan. And Levi had thanked him. That had been the most obvious fact. Levi knew for sure, and he'd not only been thanking him for helping him, but for not transforming, too. Eren knew now that he had acted foolishly in that moment of instinct. If he'd become a Titan just then, their entire plan would have been ruined, and they both would have been in great danger. They probably wouldn't have made it through the next few hours.

As he drifted to sleep with those thoughts on his mind, his dreams seemed to revolve around Levi. And the strangest thing was that he knew he was smiling on the outside.

"Eren. Eren," Levi's voice cut through the shadows and Eren slowly opened his eyes to find the man looking down at him. "Eren, wake up. It's time to move."

Levi was on his knees, gently shaking Eren's shoulders. Eren nodded and then sat up slowly, blinking the weariness from his eyes and adjusting accordingly. The sun was almost behind the mountains, so he knew that they didn't have any time to waste.

"Right, let's go," he said, standing, and Levi looked up at him with an annoyed expression. Eren looked back at him, confused. "What?"

"My cords are gone," he said, pointing to the ground about thirty meters below. "I can't get down from here without them. There aren't enough branches for me to get ahold of on this tree."

"Oh, sure," Eren said, testing his gear by pulling out about a foot of his cord and then hitting the button to retract it. "Mine should easily be able to hold the two of us." He shot out the cord on his left hip and attached it to the branch they currently stood on. He then froze. "Uhm, I don't know how we should do this…" he mumbled, trailing off, but before he could try and think of a plan, Levi walked right up to him and grabbed the leather strap of his uniform that ran horizontally across his chest.

He placed his other hand on Eren's shoulder and looked him directly in the eye, his face inches away from Eren's. "Jump," he commanded authoritatively, and Eren was only happy to oblige. He lightly stepped off of the branch and they fell about two meters before the cord caught and he began to lower them down to the ground.

Eren tried his best to ignore his discomfort from Levi literally hanging on his shoulder and his clothing. He used one hand to hold the cord steady, and the other to lower them down at a slow and steady pace so that they wouldn't fall or get twisted and be stuck that far off the ground without working cords.

"We're going to have to switch cords soon," Levi speculated, "These should last another ten or fifteen meters before it runs out, but the second one is more than enough to let us reach the ground. The Titans' activity should have already settled down by now, so don't worry about our vulnerability hanging like this. We should be fine, as long as we keep up this pace."

Eren felt his face getting hot again as the seconds ticked by in silence.

"That's it, Eren. Stop letting out the cord now. Too much and the pulley inside of it will snap. We need to switch over to the cord on your right side now. Keep your hand on the left cord and I'll release the other one. Don't let go until I tell you to."

Eren nodded and watched as Levi released his grip on Eren's shoulder, dangling himself by just the strap across his chest. Eren swallowed his immaturity and used his free hand to grab Levi's arm just in case his strap broke. The other man didn't seem to care, though, as he reached his free hand around Eren and shot out the cord on his right hip. His aim was sound and he hit the tree trunk right next to them.

"All right," Levi said, bringing his arm back around to hold Eren's shoulder again. "Now let that same cord go just a little bit more until the new one is tight and you have both your legs against the tree trunk." Eren did as he was told, releasing Levi's arm and continuing to lower the two of them down another couple of feet. "Good. Now release the left cord and put all your weight on the new one. And keep a strong hold on the right cord. Remember that my weight will add to the jump from this wire to that one."

"Right," Eren said hastily, lowering them down a couple more feet until the second wire was taut. He looked at Levi before releasing the first cord, and Levi nodded. Eren cut the cord and they fell for only a moment before the second wire caught them and Eren's legs were against the bark of the tree.

He yelped when Levi's weight dragged him down, and he startled when the leather strap across his chest unexpectedly snapped and Levi began to fall.

Eren's first instinct was to grab hold of the cord to keep himself from falling, and both his hands grabbed for it. They burned from the pressure as his hands slid along the thick metal wires and he knew he must be bleeding from how tightly his hands were wrapped around it. He ignored the pain and his eyes widened as Levi fell, but his hand caught quickly onto his ankle.

"Grh," Levi grunted as he swung uncoordinatedly from his single-handed grip on Eren's ankle. He hauled himself up and grabbed Eren's leg with his other hand as well.

"Captain!" Eren called down to him.

"I'm fine. Just keep letting the cord out and we'll touch the ground—" He stopped short and shouted out as his hand slipped and he was left dangling again by one hand. Eren had to hold onto the cord above him with all the strength he had as Levi swung him around a bit from below.

"Hold still!" Eren called, and he felt Levi get his other hand around his ankle again. He pulled his small body upward and reached up to grip the thick leather that held the cords around Eren's waist, pulling it down some. "Stop! Don't grab that!" Eren shouted at him.

"Stop making so much damned noise!" Levi called back, and then they both went silent, Eren listening for footfalls of nearing Titans. But it didn't seem like any of them had heard their shouts at each other, thankfully.

"Here," Eren said, slowly letting go of the cord with one of his hands. He held it out for Levi and quickly noticed the blood on him from gripping the metal wire. He tried to ignore it, but as Levi reached for it and firmly grasped his hand, pain shot up his arm and he yelped. But Levi didn't let go of him or release some of the pressure. Instead, he used Eren's hand to haul himself back up and keep himself steady by wrapping his arms around Eren's neck and hanging on him.

Eren felt his face get hot again and he looked away. He tried to focus on just letting out the wire very slowly, but now he could feel Levi's hot breath on his skin, and it made him shiver with discomfort. He could feel just how thin the man was from how his body pressed against his as he dangled from his neck. Eren felt like the other man was a parasite, almost, with the way he was hanging on him. His legs curled around behind Eren's knees so that he wouldn't fall again, and Eren couldn't help but be a little freaked out from the awkward position he was in. And the awkward way that Levi was holding onto him.

They reached the ground way too late by Eren's standards, and Levi hopped down to the ground. He pulled out his blade and cut the cord still attaching Eren to the tree, about fifteen meters up. Then he turned to him and pointed to the large metal blade-holding gear on each of his sides.

"Give those to me," he ordered, and Eren narrowed his eyes. How could the man be so unaffected by how close they'd just been to each other? Didn't he feel the least bit uncomfortable from being forced to hold onto him like he did?

"Why?" he asked, taking a step back. Levi rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Just give them to me, Eren," he scowled. "They'll be destroyed when you transform if you hold onto them. And I'll need those blades to defend myself in the flatlands while you're a Titan." He paused and then looked away. "And to defend _you_ if something comes up."

Eren lifted an eyebrow at Levi as he removed his gear and tossed the blade-holders to the man. Why did he have to act like saying something like that was hard for him? Did he not want to protect him while he was a Titan? But Eren didn't have time to think of more questions as Levi looked up at him again.

"I mean it, Eren," he said, strapping the large metal gear onto his waist and tightening it, "I've been charged with watching over you. The court ruled, should it come down to it, that your life is more valuable than mine. The law says that I must lay down my life for you." Eren squinted in discomfort. He was there when the court made that decision, but Levi made it sound more like the court had condemned the poor man to his death, instead of the simple ruling of watching over him. "I won't let you be killed, Eren," Levi said, exchanging his dulled blades for newer, yet still dulled blades. "Not because the court told me to die for you, but because I don't want you to die." Eren was taken aback for a moment. "You are humanity's hope, and I understand that. But if you die out here—"

"Enough," Eren said, cutting him off as he held up his hand. He looked away. "I get it. I was there when they gave you custody of me. I know the court's ruling and I heard every word that was spoken there. But let me tell you something. I'm grateful to you for your dedication to protecting me, but…" He paused for a moment. "You're humanity's strongest fighter, Levi. I've only been part of the Reconnaissance Legion for a short time, and everyone is putting their faith in me. But you've been humanity's hope for a lot longer than I have. I'd heard of you five years ago, when I was still a child. You were my hope, my inspiration. You were one of the reasons I wanted to join the Recon Corps back before this hell began.

"And you may think that it's your duty to protect me, but you have to listen to me, Levi! I will protect you, too! There's no reason for you to have to give up your life for me, so instead… We'll just have to protect each other!"

"Tch," Levi scoffed, and Eren glared at him. "Such big words."

"What?!" Eren growled.

"Relax," Levi said casually, holding up a hand and waving as if to swat away a fly. "Fine, then. We will protect each other." Eren saw a slight smirk spread on Levi's face and frowned at him. "But then again, you say that you black out when you transform, and based off of the reports, you aren't always in complete control when you become a Titan. So, then… you won't even remember these words after you've transformed, will you?"

Eren frowned. He didn't like what Levi was implying about him. "No!" he shouted, "I will protect you—"

"Stop talking as if you think I'm a novice at this game," he said, frowning. Eren wondered why he never seemed to stay happy for very long. He was always so irritable. "I've been killing Titans for a lot longer than you have. I've been called a one-man army by my superiors, and I doubt that I'll require your protection at all, actually. So stop talking as if you're doing me a favor and I should be grateful to you.

"You're power is unreliable at times, and these blades are mostly for my own protection. If you attack me when you transform, I will _take you down_ , and then we will have to wait another twenty-four hours while you recuperate. Don't forget, I know that you're limbs grow back, and if I cut off your arms and legs while you're inside your Titan form, it won't kill you, but it will most definitely stop you in your tracks. And you know that I am the one person who can do it. So don't patronize me, Eren."

Eren gulped, but soon after, Levi's expression softened and he looked at him with a strange expression on his face. "But thank you," he said quietly, "For your concern for my safety. You remind me of my unit, and I'm glad to know that I still have one of you left."

Eren was about to reply, but Levi cut him off before he could open his mouth. "We should start moving. We need to get to the edge of the forest so that you can transform and we can get the hell out of here. It's almost dark now."

Eren nodded and they set off running. They got to the edge in nearly no time at all, and Levi turned to Eren and nodded, telling him that now was the time.

Eren closed his eyes and focused. He needed to have a clear goal, and it had to be to get home before the sun came up and make sure that Levi wasn't in any danger along the way. He knew that fighting was unavoidable, but Levi was right about him blacking out and not always having control over his Titan form.

"Do it, Eren. Do it now," Levi commanded.

With his goals clearly set in his mind, and every one of his thoughts blank except for the task at hand, Eren brought his hand up to his mouth and bit down hard.


	4. Chapter 4

**How to Train Your Titan:**

 **Chapter 4**

"Ughh."

Eren slowly groaned as he forced his eyes to slit open. It felt like his eyelashes had sand in them, and glue was holding his eyelids to his face. He didn't want to open his eyes, but he felt as if he had to. He felt as if there was something important that he needed to find out, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. There was something he was supposed to remember.

A flash of memory entered his mind, and he recalled holding out his hand to someone. But he couldn't remember why or for whom. He knew that he had been a Titan during this specific memory, though. That explained why it was so hazy, but then why couldn't he remember it? He focused, trying to recall that memory. And then it came back to him. It was only that single moment, like one picture out of a lifetime of events, but he could see that picture clearly.

He was in a giant field, and the grass was green all around him. He was in Titan form and he held out his hand to someone on the ground. That someone had been Levi, and he remembered carrying the man on his large palm as he ran for home.

Suddenly, realization hit him like a brick wall and his eyes shot open and he bolted upright, his arms flailing wildly. He shouted as he came-to, as if out of a bad dream.

But as soon as he sat up, he was forced back down, and his mind drew a blank as his eyes impulsively clamped shut. His instincts told him to panic, and he struggled violently to get free from whatever had him in its grasp. He shouted at nothing as he used every muscle in his body to try and break free. He didn't want to be held down. It made him feel weak and vulnerable and he knew he had to get away, but a familiar voice cut through his fear and panic and he slowly stopped squirming.

"—have to stop! Eren! Calm down!"

"Levi?" he asked nervously, panting heavily and slowly opening his eyes. He looked up to find that the man from his memory was straddling him, holding his arms above his head in one hand and gripping his neck with the other. He noticed that they were on a small cot, and two blades rested beside Levi.

Eren's breathing wouldn't slow down, and he tried to shake Levi off of him, but to no avail.

"You need to _stop_ , Eren. _Now_ ," Levi whispered, his face close to his, and Eren stopped moving when he heard the insistence underlying his usually indifferent tone. He couldn't slow his breathing, but he had enough sense to stop squirming and to get himself under control.

First, Levi let go of his throat. Next, he slowly released his hands from his iron-hold above his head on the cot. He then swung his leg over Eren and picked up his blades. He backed away a few steps until he was a few feet away from the cot. He folded his arms and looked at the floor.

Eren froze when he saw that there was a group of people standing at the end of the bed he was lying in. And what was worse was that he remembered a few of them from the last time he had been in the courtroom. The man in the middle of the group was none other than Supreme Commander Dallis Zacklay. He was in charge of all three of the peoples' forces: the Military Police, the Garrison, and the Reconnaissance Legion. He was also the judge that gave Levi custody of Eren.

"I think we've seen all we need to see, sir," one man said, "with all due respect."

"I agree. He's too violent," another man said, but Zacklay seemed to be ignoring them for the most part. Eren understood now why Levi's tone had sounded insistent. When he bolted upright and shouted, he must have scared these men, and Levi must have gotten on top of him to stop him from signing his own death warrant.

"Commander Levi," Zacklay said, and Levi saluted him with a fist to his chest when he was called on. Eren wondered when Levi had been named Commander, and he wondered how long he'd been out. Clearly, he'd gotten both of them home safely, and that was all that really mattered to him at the moment. He was glad that his Titan form hadn't gone ballistic and attacked Levi instead. But he also wondered what had happened. Did Levi save his life? Was he uncooperative at first? He had so many questions, but he knew that the answers would have to wait until later.

"Yes, sir," Levi said.

"You lost all of your men on the mission that this boy was assigned to. Is that correct?"

"No, sir," Levi said quickly, answering without hesitation.

"No? Explain. I heard your men had all been slaughtered or eaten."

"Captain Hanji was with the squad on the left flank, as were three of our new recruits. Eren is also alive, as you can see. Therefore, I have not lost all of my men, sir."

"But as for the Special Ops unit that you were the captain of, also known as the Levi Unit, they were slaughtered or eaten. Is _this_ correct?"

"Like I said before, Supreme Commander, Captain Hanji managed to escape with the left flank squad, and Eren survived as well."

"But Captain Hanji is, for the most part, head of the imprisonment team. I'm well aware that she can fight, but she was your equal, a captain, and therefore not under your command. Correct?"

"Yes, sir," Levi said. Eren could tell that he didn't like being forced back into a corner like the Supreme Commander was doing to him right now.

"And your custody of Eren Jaeger wasn't permanent, so he cannot be legally called a member of your Special Ops team. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," Levi said, holding the position of is salute. He was losing this verbal battle, but his stance didn't waver for a second. Eren couldn't help but admire him for that.

"With all that understood, Commander, I will ask you once again. Is it correct that you lost all of your men on the mission that this boy was assigned to?"

"… Yes, sir," Levi said, unable to say anything else with the way this interrogation was going.

"You told me last time in court that pain was the best tool for discipline, in your personal opinion," Zacklay said monotonously. "Have you used this method to keep the boy under control while he has been in your custody, Commander Levi?"

For the first time, Eren saw Levi flinch. "No, sir," he said softly.

"So your personal opinion has changed, then?"

"I don't see what this has to do with what we've already discussed, Supreme Commander," Levi said quickly, trying to change to a different subject matter.

"I was just thinking that you and the previous commander, Erwin Smith, devised a lie so that you could gain custody of this monstrosity. I feel that you only subdued him in court in order to save the boy's life, and I believe that you did so under Commander Smith's orders. Unfortunately, the late Commander is no longer among the living, so I cannot ask him myself. That makes that point mute. I was planning on asking you for the truth, but then I thought that you probably wouldn't tell me the truth either, Levi. You've just lost all of your men, and you consider this boy the only underling that you have left. So, it's only logical that you would make your point as to protect the Titan boy. But you've already written your report, Commander, and correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it another human in a Titan's body that killed most of your men?"

The four men around Zacklay gasped and their wide eyes darted to Eren in shock and fear.

"I say we torture this little brat until he tells us who his friends are!" one of them shouted, and Eren's eyes widened as he pulled his legs closer to his upper body in an unconscious response to get away from the men in front of him.

"That means that the Titans are among us!" another cried out. "But maybe if we hold this boy ransom, they'll show themselves to save their comrade!"

"We have to take him to the Military Police right away for questioning!"

Two of the men took violent steps around the cot, closing in on Eren. He gulped, but Levi was between him and the men in an instant.

"Can't you keep your men under control, Supreme Commander?" he asked Zacklay, whose face turned red at the rhetorical question.

"Back off!" Zacklay shouted to the two men, and they did as they were told. They he whipped on Levi. "And what do you think you're doing, Commander? Was it your intention to protect this Titan just now?"

"It was my intention to prevent a fight, sir," Levi replied. "A fight that your men would have lost, if I may add."

"What are you insinuating, Levi? Are you saying that this boy could turn into a Titan if he was provoked? Does he have that little control over himself? Is he truly that much of a danger to humanity? Is this your expert opinion after dealing with him for the past few weeks?"

"With all due respect, I didn't mean that Eren was going to fight your men, sir. I was referring to myself."

"Maybe he's one of the Titans!" another man shouted, pointing a long boney finger at Levi. "We should take him into custody as well! Lock them both up! Why else would he protect that Titan bastard?!"

"No!" Eren shouted, "He has nothing to do with that! Leave him out of it!" Levi was taken by surprise as he turned to look at Eren with wide eyes.

"Why else would you defend him?" another man speculated coldly.

"Wait, I don't believe that," one man said, and both Eren and Levi looked over at him. It was the first comment out of anyone's mouth that didn't seem to be against them. "Levi has been a member of the Recon Corps for years, slaying those monsters day and night. There's no way he could be a Titan."

" _You see_?" Eren said loudly to the others, but Levi shot a warning glance at him, shaking his head for him to just be quiet for now. Eren scowled, but closed his mouth.

He looked around for the first time. He finally noticed that he was in a sort of dungeon cell, locked in by bars, but so was everyone else it seemed. He wasn't chained to the bed, like the last time, but it was dank and damp and lit only by a few torches on the brick walls.

"No final decision will be made outside of the courtroom," Zacklay said with finality, and then he turned and opened the barred door behind him. He and the other men walked out of the cell, taking their final glances and glares at Eren before heading off. The last man to exit shut the door with a lock and then hurried off to catch up with the others.

"Wait, why are you in here?" Eren asked Levi. "You aren't supposed to be down here, are you?"

"It was partially my choice. After we made it through the flatlands, you looked as if you were a threat to the wall. The guards were watching you, and I was forced to cut you out of the Titan's body." Eren looked down at himself. "Don't worry. I didn't cut off any of your limbs. I had time, so I just skinned the nape of your neck and pulled you out, severing your connection to the Titan form."

"I still don't get why you're in here with me," Eren said, rubbing his head. He realized that he had a horrible headache, and it felt like his skull was throbbing.

"When the guards saw me cut you out, they assumed that I was there to help them, and nearly all of the reports said that you were about to attack them because of what they saw. I wrote what really happened in my report, but against hundreds of other men who think they know what they saw… you can imagine how many people believed my report instead. Aside from the fact that they know I want to protect you from being killed by the Military Police, they decided to take bits and pieces of my entire report as the truth. Unfortunately, they only took the parts that suited their side of the story, such as how my men were killed and the failure of our mission overall."

"It was only supposed to be an assignment to set up a small camp for when we retook Wall Maria, right?" Eren asked.

"That's right. And since the mission was basically just a practice run for you and the new recruits…" He paused. "You failed."

Eren lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "What do you mean, I failed?"

"Don't you remember? The final decision of the court was going to be based on the results of the practice run. No one ever thought that it would have gotten as bad as it did. No one could have predicted that another human in a Titan's body would appear. I'm hoping that the court will realize that the female-form Titan was going after you because you represented a way for humanity to fight back, but that doesn't seem likely. The Military Police have way too much information for me to fight against, even if they're lying. And now that the Commander is gone… Well, he was the one making the preparations for that court hearing, and he made the choice not to involve me in those preparations..." Levi trailed off and then slowly looked up to meet Eren's shaking gaze. He frowned sorrowfully at him.

"I'm sorry, Eren, but I don't think I can save you this time."


	5. Chapter 5

**How to Train Your Titan:**

 **Chapter Five**

The court hearing was set for midday, and Levi had been let out of the cell a few hours prior to then. Now, as Eren entered the courtroom, he followed the same procedure as the last time. He was handcuffed and chained to a steel post behind his back as he kneeled on the hard floor, surrounded by soldiers, but with a goodly distance between him and the small crowds. Dallis Zacklay sat in his high chair at the front of the courtroom, a small pile of papers to his left and his coat neatly folded on his right.

"Eren Jaeger," he began, "This court's ruling will be final. There will be no postponements to this trial. We will decide whether you remain in your current position under Commander Levi and the Recon Corps, or if you will be handed over to the Military Police. We will also be deciding whether you live or die. Do you have any objections?"

"No, sir," Eren said weakly. He'd been hoping that Levi had been kidding before, and maybe he had some kind of plan to get him out of this mess, but as he turned to look at the man, standing at the head of the Recon Corps section in the stands, he didn't even meet Eren's gaze. Eren continued to look at him, but Levi was purposefully avoiding eye contact with him. And that made Eren lose all hope. No one was here to defend him. He was on his own, and he was well aware that he could never win that way.

"Eren," a small voice called, and he turned to find Mikasa looking at him worriedly. Armin stood next to her. And then he noticed Hanji, a few seats away from Levi. She was also looking at him, but her expression was one of apology.

He looked back towards Mikasa and shook his head at her. He wanted her to know that she shouldn't get involved. He knew all too well that she would die for him at any time, even now. But he wanted her to stay safe. That was all he wanted for her.

But then, she nodded at him and her face turned cold. Eren blinked a few times, and then saw that Armin was giving him the same expression. They tilted their heads towards their left, and Eren followed it to Hanji. He noticed that somewhere in the background, a member of the Military Police was making their long and treacherous statement to Zacklay, but Hanji's expression made him ignore the proceedings completely. She nodded and gave him a little smile. And then she tilted her head towards Levi, who still wasn't looking at him.

Eren watched him as he brought a hand up to brush his hair out of his eyes, and then, very slowly and very casually, he brought the side of his hand to his mouth. And for a split second, as his teeth hit his flesh, his eyes darted to Eren's and the boy jumped. What was Levi trying to say to him? Did he want him to transform?

"Does Commander Levi have anything to say in response to the claims that were just made?" Zacklay asked loudly, and everyone turned to Levi. He quickly dropped his hand to his side and said, "No, sir. I have nothing to add to the Military Police Commander's statements."

"Then the court's decision is as follows," the Supreme Commander continued, "Eren's Titan power has a multitude of uncertainties and unknown elements. He cannot control his power and it is unreliable at times. He is also in league with the other humans in Titan form. For his crimes against the people and against the Walls, he will be sentenced to death. And since Commander Levi has nothing to add, his sentence will be taken _immediately_. The Military Police will not receive custody of the human-Titan and he is now removed from his position under Commander Levi. Now that he has been stripped of his status and his rank, Eren Jaeger will now face the ultimate consequence for his actions."

Eren didn't want to panic, but his heart was racing, and he had no idea what was going on. Levi wanted him to transform, but he couldn't do that because his hands were bound by chains. Levi must have known that, so then what was he planning? And it was obvious that Armin, Mikasa and Hanji were in on it as well. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. And he was scared.

He quickly looked around, but Mikasa and Armin were no longer where they had been standing before. They were nowhere in sight. And Hanji was moving towards the back of the crowd, pushing her way through. Levi was watching her intently, but as soon as she was out of sight, Levi turned and looked directly at Eren. He nodded once, and then followed after Hanji through the crowd. The others were too busy watching him that they didn't even notice that four people had left the courtroom without permission from Zacklay. And not even Zacklay had noticed their departure.

"For the deceased Commander Erwin Smith, we will review his terms from the prior proceedings, and then the execution will follow shortly after," Zacklay said in a bored tone, as if he had somewhere else to be. "Commander Smith asked that the former Captain Levi be placed in charge of Eren Jaeger and sent outside the Walls. There, he would perform during a practice mission, and today's ruling would be based on two things that were gathered from that mission. The first was if he could control his power. The second statement was if he was of some use to humankind. As we have already determined, neither of these statements by Commander Smith have been proven and deemed true. Evidence has been submitted on the contrary. Now," he said with a final breath, "the ruling will commence. Execute Eren Jaeger, the human-Titan, for his crimes."

Eren began to sweat as he heard footsteps coming up from behind him. His heart raced and his breathing picked up. He was about to die, but he still didn't understand what Levi had meant when he imitated biting his hand before. If he wanted him to turn into a Titan, then he would have to get out of the chains, but his execution would take place with them on. They wouldn't free him because they knew the risk.

But then the people in the stands gasped loudly and Eren heard a loud thump as something hit the floor right behind him. And in the next moment a loud snap hit his ears and the chains were broken and he was free to move his hands and arms.

"What is the meaning of this? Commander Levi! Captain Hanji!" the Supreme Commander shouted angrily. "You are elite members of the Reconnaissance Legions. What do you think you're doing?!"

"I think," Levi's voice came from behind Eren and he turned around to look up at the man, standing boldly behind him, "that I am saving mankind."

"What he said!" Hanji shouted, throwing her fist in the air.

"You will suffer the consequences of your actions, Commander Levi, Captain Hanji!" Zacklay screamed.

"I take back my previous statement," Levi said calmly. "And I would like to make my case for Eren Jaeger's protection under the Reconnaissance Legions now, Supreme Commander… sir."

"The time for that is over, Commander. Judgment has already been passed on this boy and the court has made its final ruling."

"I'm afraid I cannot take back what I've already done, and forgive me for my following actions, but this is my case," Levi said, and then looked down and nodded for Eren to stand. He did so, quickly, knowing that his life was on the line.

Suddenly, Mikasa and Armin came running through the doors of the court with 3D Maneuver Gear and blades.

"What are you children doing?" Zacklay shouted angrily as they handed the gear and blades to Levi. The man instantly strapped on his gear and held the blades in place. "Commander, explain yourself!"

"I am ensuring the protection of the people of this court during my case and statement, sir. If it comes down to it, I will kill Eren Jaeger right here without a moment's hesitation. But this is only a precaution. My case summarizes the things I learned while Eren and I were in the flatlands, and he, in his Titan form, saved both our lives. Now, if everyone could move outside, that would be helpful."

"What the hell are you doing, Commander Levi?! The time for discussion is over! This boy should already be dead!"

"If you'll just listen to what I have to say, I'm certain that you won't regret it. But if you don't hear me out, then I can personally guarantee that humanity fill fall, and all of humankind will be extinct within the decade. Now please, if everyone will move outside, we can continue."

Then, all of a sudden, the people in the room began to move slowly, and Eren couldn't tell if an attack was going to come, and if so, then what direction? He had no idea. But it seemed like the people were listening to Levi for the most part.

Soon, most of the court had moved outside the courtroom. Levi used an unnecessary amount of force to haul Eren to his feet and drag him outside with everyone else. All eyes were on Levi and Eren, and the people looked on with only anxiety and fright.

"I recently learned that when Eren becomes a Titan," Levi began, once the Supreme Commander had exited the building. The expression on his face made it clear that he didn't want Levi to speak, much less drag the court proceeding to the street, where everyone now stood. "He retains the knowledge that he'd gained from all the times prior when he transformed. Also, he reacts based on what he was thinking about at the moment he turned. With this being said, I learned that Eren's Titan power can be trained. In the other cases that we've seen so far, such as the armored Titan and the female-form Titan, the person inside the body controls the actions of the Titan. We can assume only that a level of control like that can only come from experience. This is something that Eren doesn't have.

"But I also realized, while we crossed the flatlands, that I could train Eren's Titan form, and I could control his actions to an extent from telling him or showing him what I wanted him to do. Eren says that he blacks out when he becomes a Titan, but he responds as if he is himself. Unfortunately, this has only happened during those hours before we reached the Walls, and I am the only person who has been successful in controlling Eren's actions.

"You put him under my custody, and so I learned what I could about him and I kept him out of harm's way, as ordered. My men also did this on my command, and as a result, they gave up their lives following orders. Eren had nothing to do with the deaths of the members of my Battalion. If anyone is to blame, it is me for giving them that order.

"There also seems to have been some confusion regarding the reports that I submitted regarding my experiences on the 57th expedition outside the Walls. One in particular is my report for our arrival at Wall Rose. Many of the soldiers and guards in the area speculated that Eren was attacking them, and that was why I had cut him out of the nape of his Titan's neck. But I didn't hear a single person refer to my report during this hearing. I specifically wrote that I had to get him out of the Titan's body because of how many hours he had been in that form. The heat and the stress on his human body could have severely injured him if he'd stayed inside the Titan form any longer. It was for that reason that I cut him out and pulled him from the Titan's body.

"Now, my case will revolve around the information that I gathered during the time I was in the flatlands. All accounts of that experience and everything I am about to tell the court is in that report for further reference. First of all, like I said earlier, there is a very high likelihood that Eren's Titan form can be trained to follow orders, and since I am the only person who has been successful in doing so, and since I have had custody of him up until this point, I propose that I continue to watch over Eren and perform certain experiments with Captain Hanji," he paused to flourish his hand in her direction, and she nodded her agreement once as Levi continued his case, "so that we should be certain that he can't be of any use to us before we sentence him to death.

"Before I demonstrate, I would like to give you an example. This can also be found in my report, if anyone wishes to accuse me of lying." His eyes darted to the Military Police for a moment and he earned himself a few scowls. "We traveled during the night, when the other Titans were weak with the hope that Eren wouldn't get into any major fights while we crossed the flatlands. Unfortunately, quite a few battles were unavoidable, such as abnormals, and those of the Titans that weren't entirely weakened by the lack of sunlight. I would like to recount one in particular to the court.

"An abnormal attacked Eren in his Titan form. My 3D Maneuver Gear was useless, and my only weapons were a few dull blades. Without my 3D Gear, I was unable to defend neither myself nor Eren from the abnormal. Its abnormalities were that it could jump out of harms way and it was ignoring me and going straight for Eren. It was also a 16-meter class Titan, and it began to overpower Eren."

Eren listened to Levi intently. He didn't remember any of this, but how could he? He didn't remember anything. The only thing he did recall was the image from earlier of his Titan hand reaching down to offer Levi his speed instead of running on the ground. He wondered if that image was connected to this story.

"In response, I tried to communicate with Eren, and I gave him the order to get me close to the nape of the abnormal's neck. It took a few tries on my part, but he eventually responded. He lifted me off the ground and placed me on his shoulder. From there it was relatively easy for me to defeat the abnormal. Following that battle, I instructed Eren to carry me on his shoulder for the remainder of our race back to the Walls."

"I remember that," Eren said suddenly, and the people turned to him. He ignored them and looked at Levi. "It's faint, but I can remember those times when you gave me an order, and I remember that I decided to listen to you. I knew that I had to follow your orders, and so… I did. And I can remember those times. In fact, those are the only moments that I can remember from when I transformed."

"I believe that I can command Eren in his Titan form, and as such, I will demonstrate this to the court," Levi said quickly, and before anyone could react and tell him not to, he met Eren's gaze. "Now, Eren," Levi commanded, and Eren knew that he didn't have the time to hesitate or even think, for that matter. If he didn't act quickly and trust in whatever Levi had planned, then he was dead anyway. So, he raised his hand to his mouth and bit through the flesh as hard as he fucking could.

Eren opened his eyes.

And he saw everything. From the large Titan hand that he was holding in front of his face to the frightened people all the way down by the ground. He was a Titan, but for some reason, he felt strange. These people had just been prepared to sentence him to death, so they couldn't be his allies. But did he want to kill them? Of course he did. If he didn't, then he wouldn't survive. And Eren Jaeger had to survive to save all of humanity. He didn't have a choice. He would kill them all.

He raised his giant Titan hand and prepared to smash the tiny human killers. He was ready to do this. He would survive. Eren Jaeger would survive. The people were running and screaming, but they didn't have the strength or speed to get away from him. They weren't so tough when they couldn't sentence him to death out of irrational fear. He brought his hand down in a wide, strong arc.

But a familiar voice made him halt his actions. Someone was calling his name. And it was someone that he knew. He looked around, searching for a friendly face among the throng of people. But he saw no lighthearted expressions. He saw no friends smiling at him from down there. They were all glaring at him with hatred and fear. They were clearly all his enemies. But then who was calling his name?

He felt a pinch on his arm and then a fly landed on his shoulder. He made to swat it away, but realized that the fly was the one who was shouting his name. He stopped swinging his hands and glared at the fly. But his vision turned blurry, and he thought he saw the fly as a person for an instant. He felt dizzy, and he didn't know what he was doing there.

"Eren! Eren! Listen to me!" the familiar voice called. It sounded urgent, but almost like background noise. And flies were so insignificant that he knew that nothing the tiny creature said could have meant much to someone as powerful as him.

"Eren!" another voice shrieked, and this time, it was a fly on the ground. He looked down and found the fly at his feet. He wondered why the fly wasn't running away from him like the humans were. Maybe this was his friend. He bent over and reached for the fly.

But then it fled. Eren grunted his displeasure and let the fly leave. What did he care? Something so small as a fly could hold a candle to him. He would let that one go.

"Stay away, Mikasa!" the fly on his shoulder shouted, and Eren thought for a moment. He recognized that name. Was it an enemy? Or was it a friend? He didn't know, but he knew that this fly who didn't run away from him yet knew the answer. He turned and looked at the small creature on his shoulder. His vision blurred and he thought he saw a person again.

And this time, he could outline the figure. It was short and thin, and it looked to be wearing 3D Maneuver Gear. He knew what that was from his training before he joined the Recon Corps. The figure had short, dark hair that covered a bit of his forehead on either side of his face. His calm expression looked so familiar that not being able to identify the fly was starting to aggravate Eren. He wanted to know who was taking up residence on his shoulder.

"Can you hear me?" the fly said, and this time he used his normal voice, instead of shouting right next to his ear. "Eren, it's me, Levi. You need to do exactly as I say, Eren. If you don't, then there isn't anything else I can do to keep you under my watch. And if I can't do that, then…" He trailed off, but then continued once more. "I want you to sit down. Eren? Can you understand me? You need to sit down, right here in the street."

Eren's memory flashed, and he suddenly remembered this man. He wasn't a fly, after all. It was the same man that helped him get through the flatlands. It was Levi. He remembered him telling him his name over and over again while he carried him in his hand. This man even protected him from other Titans. This man was his friend, Levi. But he was telling him to do something, but right as he said it, Eren couldn't remember what it was he was supposed to do. It was so frustrating.

"Sit down, Eren," Levi said again, calmly, and Eren finally understood. He slowly bent his knees and let them hit the ground. Then he sat back on his heels and glanced over at Levi on his shoulder for further instruction. "Good," Levi said slowly, and then he jumped to the ground, quite a few meters below, without getting hurt. Eren didn't understand how he could do that.

Eren looked around and noticed that the people weren't running away from him anymore. They were staring at him, and they were staring at Levi. He didn't understand. He reached out his hand to grab one of the tiny humans.

And then they started screaming again. Eren startled and pulled back his hand. In the next instant, Levi was on the ground in front of him, holding out his hands. His mouth was moving, but it took a few seconds for him to hear what was being said.

"Calm down, Eren. Just be still for a while," Levi shouted at him, his hands raised further up in the air, as if he was trying to say that he wasn't a threat to him. Eren let out another grunt in amusement. He knew that Levi wasn't a threat to him. Levi protected him, so he wouldn't try to hurt him. And besides, Eren knew the power he controlled. Levi wouldn't be able to kill him anyway.

But just as that final thought ended, Eren blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6

**How to Train Your Titan:**

 **Chapter Six**

It was hot… so freaking hot. He needed to get away from the heat, but it was everywhere. It felt like he was on fire, and the fog was so dense. He couldn't see a thing in this weather.

"…need to pull yourself out. Come on, Eren. I know you can hear me."

That was Levi's voice, Eren thought. He could clearly remember everything up until the point where Levi had instructed him to turn into a Titan. He could only assume that the plan went well, whatever it had been, because he was still alive. He knew that he would have been killed if he'd gone on a rampage or tried to kill anyone. He had the feeling that Levi would have killed him himself in that scenario.

"Wha… What happened?" Eren asked.

A blade was brought down in front of his face and he jumped. He turned to find that Levi was holding him upright, and his blade was cutting through the part of the Titan body that he was still attached to. He now knew why he'd felt so hot, and it also explained the fog, which was actually steam.

"Levi," he breathed. He was so exhausted. He couldn't even hold himself in a sitting position, and he was being dragged out of his Titan corpse. He couldn't lift a finger. None of his muscles were responding. He felt like he was fully paralyzed, but he knew that it would wear off sooner or later. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. "Are they going to kill me?" he asked.

"I don't think so," Levi replied softly with a smile. "You did very well, and the court went back into the building to make a final decision. I believe that they will restore your rank and return you to my watch. You may have to go on a few more expeditions to really prove to the rest of them that you're as useful as I made you out to be."

"What did you do?" Eren asked. "What did _I_ do?"

"I tell you later."

"You won't get the chance if they decide to go through with the execution instead."

Levi smirked. "You'll be fine, Eren. Your friends, Hanji and I had a backup plan just in case, but thankfully I don't think we'll have to go to such extreme measures."

"My friends? You mean Armin and Mikasa. They were in on this, too?" He knew the answer to his question, but he felt like asking it anyway.

"They got wind that I was going to fight the Military Police and the court's false information in this manner, and they didn't give me much of a choice. It was either include them or have the whole plan go up in smoke. That girl friend of yours sure is persistent. And she cares about you. I can tell the she is willing to die for you, and she would do it at any moment," he said, and Eren laughed softly, using up too much energy. That sounded like Mikasa, all right.

"So now what?" Eren groaned, having trouble staying upright. Without Levi helping to hold him up, he would have fallen over already. And it seemed like the only thing keeping him conscious right now was speaking and listening to the man. "And why am I awake right now? I've always been knocked out for a while after my transformation has ended. What changed?"

"I'm not sure, to be completely honest with you," Levi said, looking around. There were still a few people around them, watching Eren intently. "But the court doesn't need to know that."

"Is everyone still afraid of me?" Eren asked softly, and jumped when Levi let out a small laugh. He'd never heard him laugh before, really.

"For the most part," he replied, "But they understand your value a little better now, and the fact that you give humanity a strategic advantage over the other Titans."

"What did I do?" he asked, "I still can't remember much from when I transform. I get a few images and a lot of confusion, but that's about it, and it doesn't help me remember anything at all. It's pretty much useless information."

"You did exactly what I told you to do," Levi said, back to being serious, again. Eren met his dark blue eyes. "For some reason, you listen to me when you're a Titan. Hanji and your friends both tried as well, but you had no logical response to them." Eren's face fell, but Levi placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is a good thing, Eren. If the court saw that you might listen to anyone, if trained properly, then they would have other options to consider right now. This way, they can only return you to my custody, instead of handing you to someone whom they believe might be able to control you. Your childhood friend, Mikasa… You didn't listen to her, either, and that made an impression on the court. That told them that this trigger to obedience isn't familiarity, because you've only known me for a short amount of time. You don't know me as well as you know your friends, and yet I'm the one you react to. For now, it doesn't matter the reason why. All that matters is that you do."

"What's going to happen to me?" Eren asked.

"You're just full of questions, aren't you?" Levi grunted, putting his blades away and dragging Eren out of the steaming corpse. More people gathered to watch them as Eren got to his feet and leaned on Levi for support as the stood on the streets, awaiting a decision from the court. "If they return you to my watch… I don't really know. I'm sure they'll want to use you as a weapon against the Titans, so you'll have to go on plenty of assignments."

"What else?" Eren pressed, "And what about Armin and Mikasa? They won't be blamed for helping you free me before, will they?"

"I don't know what they'll decide, Eren. Your questions can't be answered until we hear what the court has to say. I have nothing else to say that you want to hear."

Just then, the doors behind them swung open and Zacklay strutted outside, followed by a group of others, mostly from the Military Police, and a few from the Garrison.

"Commander Levi," Zacklay said loudly, and both Levi and Eren turned to look at the man. Eren was embarrassed to need someone to stand up straight, but he couldn't remain on his own legs without Levi at the moment, so he had to deal with it. "We have come to a conclusion."

Another man from the Garrison stepped forward and began to read from a sheet of paper that he held in front of his nose. "Eren Jaeger will be placed under the custody of Commander Levi, with the exception that he will receive routine visits from members of the Military Police to make sure that he is making progress. Commander Levi is hereby instructed to train Eren's Titan form so that he can give him absolute orders in battle that will be followed without fail."

"If this boy cannot be controlled to perfection, "Zacklay spoke loudly, "Then he is of no use to humankind. If he does not obey orders like the soldier that he is, then he is more of a threat than what he's worth." He nodded to the other man, who nodded in reply and glanced back at the paper in front of him.

"Furthermore, Commander Levi, Captain Hanji and soldiers of the Reconnaissance Legions Armin and Mikasa will be confined to the underground for twenty-four hours for their transgressions against this court. It has been decided that Eren Jaeger remains with Commander Levi at all times. Therefore, he will also be confined to the underground prisons with the Commander." The man lowered the paper to his side and walked back to the group behind the Supreme Commander.

"Levi," Zacklay said, "That boy must not leave your sight for even a moment. I understand that he still may be a threat, but you have proven to me that he could also be a great asset, if used properly. Therefore, you will also protect him with your life, and you will have a group of others do the same. At this point, you are as invaluable as he is. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Levi replied quickly and loudly, saluting with his fist over his heart. His salute wasn't perfect, as his other hand was making sure that Eren didn't fall to the ground. But as Eren looked at the Supreme Commander, he could have sworn that he saw the man smirk.

After the people around the court had scattered and went about their own individual businesses, Eren and the others were escorted to the underground prisons as their punishment for disobeying the court.

"I thought they were going to kill us," Hanji said casually, leaning against the dimly lit right wall, "But they should have killed me instead of sticking me in a room with you guys for a whole day with only two beds. How sick. Maybe they're using us as some kind of experiment or something."

"Only you would think that we're being experimented on in a jail cell," Levi snorted, annoyed with her babbling. She hadn't shut up since they got here about a half hour ago.

"Eren?" Mikasa said, sitting on the edge of one of the beds. Eren and Levi were the only one's lying down, taking up both of the beds. Mikasa sat on Eren's bed. "How are you feeling?"

Eren looked up at her. "I'm fine. Just a little tired, but I'll be okay." A moment of silence passed between them. Hanji and Levi were still at it, but Armin was listening to the two of them. "Mikasa, listen… I heard that I didn't respond to you or Armin when I transformed… And I just wanted to let you know that, if I knew how to control it, in _any_ way… I would have listened to you. You know that, don't you?"

Mikasa smiled gently at him. "Please don't worry about that, Eren. Of course I know, but your Titan form _does_ respond to me. You protected me two times now, and that means that you still know that it's me when you're like that. It's not my job to give you orders anyway. Leave that to Levi. It's not that I like the guy, because to be honest I hate him, but it's all right. I know you're still in there. I can see it in your eyes, even when you're a Titan. And you've always come back to me in the end. That's good enough. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Armin looked over at Hanji and Levi after some words were exchanged between the two of them. Eren and Mikasa hadn't heard, but Armin seemed interested.

"Could you tell me about that?" he asked, and Eren saw Levi's eyes widen a bit. "Those experiments… I've only heard about them from other people, but you're the one who actually keeps the Titans and experiments on them. You do it yourself, right?"

"Please don't ask her about that," Levi said exasperatedly, but it was already too late. Hanji's eyes were sparkling and drool was coming out of the side of her mouth. Eren looked away. Even though he'd gotten used to the woman and her insane love for experimenting on Titans and learning about them in general, he still knew that she could talk someone to death about it if they asked her. He'd made that mistake himself once.

His eyes met Levi's and they shared a common expression for a moment, like they knew what was coming next. And then Hanji began explaining things to Armin, who was a bit freaked out by her shining eyes and, of course, the drool. That always took a while to get used to.

"I'm tired," Mikasa whispered to Eren. Hours had passed since Armin asked Hanji about her experiments, and the woman was still talking with obscene enthusiasm. Levi had begun pacing about twenty minutes ago, and he hadn't stopped since. His expression was hard and annoyed, clearly from Hanji and her incessant explanations for anything and everything involving Titans and what she's learned so far about each and every one of them.

Mikasa sat down on the opposite bed and lightly smiled at Eren as she lay down. "You should get some rest, too, Eren," she said, "You don't have to stay awake, you know. I thought you said you were tired almost three hours ago. We've got nothing else to do here. We might as well get some rest."

Eren nodded and flipped onto his back to stare at the ceiling.

"Okay, okay," Armin said loudly, "Hanji, I'm very happy that you're so excited about your work, but this is excessive, don't you think? I'd love to hear more later, I mean. But maybe we should get some sleep, too?"

Hanji, not seeming to take any offense by Armin's interrupting her, just smiled. "Okay!" she nodded, "But the girls have to sleep together," she added, pointing to Mikasa, who frowned. She didn't like the sound of that.

Hanji walked over to Levi, who had finally stopped pacing to glare at her. Hanji grabbed the small man's shoulders and began to push him backwards. Levi growled under his breath as she pushed him a few feet back. His legs hit the other bed and he sat down, swatting away her hands and then crossing his arms.

"The _boys'_ bed is over here," she said with a smile, "Levi, you can sleep with Eren and Armin."

"Oh, no. That's alright," Armin called from the other side of the room. "I'm not really tired. I slept before the court hearing. And I'd like a little quiet time to think anyway. I'll be fine over here." Then Armin sat down on the stone floor, as if to make his decision final.

Hanji walked back over to Mikasa and plopped down beside her. She leaned back and then turned her back to Mikasa with a heavy sigh. Within a matter of seconds, everyone was listening to her soft snoring.

"What a strange person…" Armin said, and Levi grunted his dissatisfaction.

"That's one way of putting it," the smaller man said under his breath. His exasperated tone was unmistakable. He then stood and walked over to the side of the bed and sat down next to Eren. He pulled off his shoes before resting his legs on the bed and leaning back against the backboard, his hands behind his head.

"Thank you for what you did," Eren whispered, "You saved my life… again."

Levi didn't reply at first, and Eren wondered if he'd fallen asleep, but then the man sighed. "It's part of my job. And I already explained to you that I believe that you are a great asset to mankind. Without you, humans may become extinct, and there are plenty of people that don't see what a reality that is."

"But still," Eren said, "You go through an awful lot of trouble, and even my friends got involved."

"Like I said before, they did that of their own accord. They didn't want to be left out of your rescue, and they didn't really give me a choice."

"Would you have said no if they had only asked?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Levi paused for a second. "It's better if less people are involved in this. If something went wrong, no matter how many people wanted to be a part of that rescue, if you hadn't listened to me, then everyone involved would have been severely punished, and no one could have helped. The numbers wouldn't have mattered, except for the lower amount of jail cells and higher amount of executions."

"Wait…" Eren said, something clicking in his head, "You don't mean that you would have been executed if I didn't listen to you in my Titan form?" Levi nodded. "And Hanji? And Armin and Mikasa, too?"

"That's right."

"Why didn't you stop them?!"

"Because we were willing to take that risk," Hanji said, flipping over and looking at Eren. Mikasa leaned forward and nodded her agreement. Armin did the same.

"But… you all would have died."

"If they killed you, humanity would have been dead soon after," Armin said with a lighthearted smile, "Execution or being eaten alive by Titans…? I'd choose execution, especially if it was to try to save my best friend."

"Huhn," Levi grunted, flipping over onto his side, his back to Eren. The younger male glanced at the back of Levi's head of dark hair for a moment before turning back to Hanji and Mikasa.

"What's with him?" Mikasa asked, rolling her eyes. Eren knew that his childhood friend wasn't too fond of the captain. She once told Eren that Levi was a bad influence on him. He still didn't understand what she was talking about. Levi's influence was a good thing, if anything.

"Maybe he's got a boy crush on Eren," Hanji joked, "And he's just jealous that you're such a close friend to him."

Eren laughed nervously, taking another quick glance toward the back of Levi's head. The man couldn't have fallen asleep so quickly, and Eren wondered if Hanji was pissing him off, as usual. It wouldn't come as a surprise to him if Levi flipped over and attacked the imprisonment team's captain without a second's thought.

Mikasa grunted and then flipped over, seeming a lot like Levi in the way her back faced them and she was pretending to be asleep so she wouldn't have to listen to Hanji's weird comments and remarks. Eren was considering doing the same. Armin was asleep in the corner of the room already, probably tired from Hanji's talking to him beforehand.

"Oh, come on," Hanji said with a laugh, "Levi's so jealous that Mikasa and you grew up together, Eren, and he knows that she'll always be number one in your book."

Eren blushed. In fact, he'd never thought of Mikasa in that way. Well, of course he thought about it, but the idea never appealed to him. Mikasa was like an older sister and a younger sister all wrapped into one package. She was his family, not his lover. It didn't bother him that most people felt that was their relationship status.

Levi flipped over and narrowed his eyes at Hanji. "Can't you keep your mouth shut for a few hours and let the rest of us get some sleep?"

"Oh, I didn't know I let the secret out of the bag. I thought you'd be okay with it, Levi." Hanji snickered and Levi rolled his eyes as he flipped back over, annoyed with her antics.

"Don't worry about her, Levi," Eren joked in barely a whisper, "She's practically harmless, and she'll fall asleep soon enough. After all that talking, I'm sure she's got to be tired."

"You'd be surprised," Levi whispered back, "And what did I tell you about calling me that? Why do I always have to remind you? We're back inside the walls, so you will refer to me as your superior, Eren. Do you understand?"

Eren thought it strange how he'd had a hard time referring to Levi by his first name before, and now he was having trouble calling him in such a formal manner once again.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," he said quickly, and then his head hit the pillow and he tried his best to get some rest.


End file.
